Boy&#39;s wagon.



Patented Dec. Il, |900.

A WHITE BIJYSl WAGON.

(Application led July B0, 1900.)

(No Model.)

llt-irren Santas ATnNfr Fries.,

ARTHUR XVI-UTE, 'OF SHEBOYGAN FALLS, l/VISCONSIN.

BOYS WAGON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,526, dated December11, 1.900.

Application tiled July 30, 1900.

To (LZZ whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR WHITE, of Sheboygan Falls, in the county ofSheboygan.

and State of Visconsin, have invented a new and useful ImprovementinBoys Wagons, of which the following is a description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of thisspecification.

The invention consists of the devices and their combinations as hereindescribed and claimed or the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a boys wagon embodyingmy improvements. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the Wagon shown inelevation in Fig. 1. Y Fig. 3 is an elevation of the front end of thewagon shown in Fig. 1, the tongue being indicated in dotted lines andparts being broken away to expose otherwise-hidden construction. Fig. 4is a transverse section on line il of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side elevationof a fragment of the front end of the wagon, the sides of the Wagon-boxbeing removed.

lnl the drawings, 6 6 are the rear wheels, mounted on an axle providedwith a bolster 7, which bolster is secured to the bottom S; also, braces9 9 are advisably secured to the rear axle and to the bottom. At thefront end of the bottom S a bolster l10 is secured to the same, and abrace 11 is advisably connected to the lower edge of the bolster and tothe bottom 3. The front wheels 12 12 are mounted on an axle 13, and theaxle 13 and the bolster 10 are each provided with a circle piececomplementary to each other, forming the fth- Wheel or bearings 1abetween the axle and the bolster, by means of which the bolster and itsload are supported on the axle and permit the axle to swivel thereunder.A kingbolt 15 connects the axle to the bolster and is the pivot aboutwhich the swiveling of the axle occurs on the bearings la.

The special object of my improvements is to adapt a boys wagon of thegeneral character of the one shown and described for use as a coaster,the improvements being chiefly directed to means whereby the boy orperson using it can readily and successfully change or otherwise controlthe direction of the running of the wagon downhill or as a coaster byshifting the position of the front axle and the wheels thereon.4 Forthis purpose a pair Serial No. 25,226. (No model.)

of hounds 16 16 are fixed in the axle 13 and project forwardly andupwardly therefrom, the hounds being advisably so inserted in the axleas to converge toward each other outwardly. The upward projection of thehounds is also preferably to such extent as to bring their frontextremities nearly or quite up to the plane of the bottom 3. A block 17or crosspiece is secured to the front extremities of the hounds, andthis block is constructed to receive therein the end of the tongue18,which is pivoted to the block conveniently by means of a bolt 19, soas to permit the tongue to extend forwardly fron the hounds for thepurpose of hauling the Wagon about and to permit of its being thrownover rearwardly into the position shown in Figs. 5 and 1, in which itserves as a lever or tiller, which can be grasped by a boy sitting onthe wagon and swung to right or left to thereby shift the position ofthe Wheels and change the direction of the running of the wagon. Afulcrum for the tongue 13, when it is thrown over to the rear and servesas a tiller, is provided, which preferably consists of a thole-pin 2O orpin having a furcate or U-shaped upper end, which pin is insertedloosely in asocketbearing therefor in the front end of the Wagon bottomorbox. The tongue when thrown over rearwardly rests in this thole-pin,which serves as a fulcrum for the tongue or tiller, and whereby, becauseof the length of the hounds and the tongue in front of the axle 13, theboy can easily and surely shift the front axle and change the directionof the running of the wagon.

In Fig. 5 I have shown the thole-pin 2O as mounted in the fro'nt end ofthe bottom 8. As preferably constructed this bottom consists oflongitudinal strips of elastic wood 21 21, located at little distancesapart, forming a slatted spring-bottom. This is avery light wagon forbeing hauled up a hill for coasting, and because of the elasticity ofthe bottom is a very agreeable vehicle, in the nature of aspring-buckboard, on which to coast down a hill, and in this form ofconstruction the tongue 13, serving as a tiller, is in suchsubstantially horizontal position as to serve most advantageously andpowerfully as a lever or tiller for shifting the front axle, so that thevehicle is easily under the control IOO of the boy using it; but it issometimes desirable that the wagon should havea more rigid constructionand that it should be adapted for holding parcels or` packages or foranalogous use, and for this purpose a rigid box 22, consisting of sideand end walls, the sides adapted to tit on the bottom 8, is provided,which box has pins or dowels 23 projecting from its loweredge, whichenter sockets therefor in the bottom 8, advisably passing through theslots in the bottom just at the front of the front bolster l0 and at therear of the rear bolster 7, respectively, whereby the box is preventedfrom undesirable movement forward or rearwardly or laterally on thebottom. Clips 24E 24, secured to the sides of the box medially, extenddown through slots in the bottom, and a cross-bar 25, inserted in theclips 24 and extending transversely under the bottom, serves to hold thebottom securely to the box and also prevents the springing or yieldingof the bottom downwardly away from the box. The box can be readilyremoved by taking out the cross-bar 25. When the box 22 is on the bottomS, as shown in Fig, l, the thole-pin 20 is removed from its position, asshown in Fig. 5, in the bottom 8 and is placed in the front endof thebox, being advisably inserted through au end piece 26 provided therefor,which end piece is secured to and made a part of the box. f

It will be observed that in the construction shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3the thole-pin 2O is in the line of the extension of the king-bolt l5,which is a preferable location for this thole-pin; but in theconstruction shown in Fig. 5 the thole-pin cannot Well be locatedin thecontinuation of the axis of the king-bolt and is therefore located alittle at the rear thereof, but very close thereto. It will also benoticed that the bolster lO, the bottom 8, and the bolster 7 beingconnected together rigidly form what is properly denominated the frameof the wagon, and that in connection therewith and as a part thereof thebox 22 is sometimes employed and when so used is a part of thewagon-frame. By this special construction the user gets two wagons inplace of one and at about the expense of one.

What I claim as my invent-ion isl. Steering devices for a wagon,comprising a swveling front axle provided with wagonaxle is swiveled, apair of hounds projecting forwardly and upwardly from the front axle, a`tongue pivotediin the hounds, anda tholepin mounted on the wagon-frameat the rear of the hounds and substantially in the prolongation of theaxis of the king-bolt.

3. In combi nation in a boys wagon,a wagon- `frame, a front axleswiveled to the frame, a

p'air of hounds fixed in and projecting for `wardly and upwardly fromthe front axle, a

cross-piece fixed on the front ends of the hounds, a tongue pivoted inthe crosspiece, and a thole-pin mounted rotatably in the front end ofthe frame at the rear of the hounds, said thole-pin being adapted toreceive the tongue medially andl removably therein and to serve asafulcrum in and with which the tongue can be swung laterally.

4. In combination, alwagon-frame comprising a front and-a rear bolster,au elastic bottom secured to the bolsters, rigid'sides and ends of a boxfitted removably on the bottom, means to clamp the bottom medially tothe under edges of the box, anda front axle swiveled under the front endof the frame, hounds projecting forwardly and upwardly from the frontaxle, a tongue pivoted in the front ends of the hounds, and means on thefront end of the frame adapted to take the tongue medially therein, andserve asafulcrum therefor.

5. In combination in a wagon, front and rear holsters, a spring-bottomsecured to and clips and holdthe bottom to the box.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR WHITE.

Witnesses:

C. T. BENEDIo'r, ANNA V. FAUs'r.

IOO

